Berkeley Lab

“Your Brain Is Good at Inclusion… Except When It’s Not” Talk on July 26-27 by Dr. Steve Robbins

In continuing our efforts to enhance the work environment, Berkeley Lab is inviting Dr. Steve Robbins to lead a presentation on Wednesday, July 26 and Thursday, July 27 in Building 50 auditorium. Morning and afternoon sessions are available for Lab employees to attend.  Click HERE to register and view available times.  Registration is required.

Dr. Robbins, a leading expert on diversity and inclusion (D&I), will present a talk entitled, “Your Brain is Good at Inclusion… Except When It’s Not.” He presented at the National Lab Directors Council (NLDC) D&I Summit last year and was well-received.

Dr. Robbins will provide a science-based framework for addressing D&I issues, as well as examples of behaviors found to enhance the benefits of D&I. Additionally, he will describe the ways in which D&I workplace efforts can positively impact creativity and innovation, employee engagement and enthusiasm, and continuous learning and improvement. His presentation will draw on the areas of cognitive neuroscience, communication, and social psychology to help us better understand how implicit biases—underlying biases of which we may not be aware—affect decisions and behaviors in hiring, promoting, and providing career development. He will also share his insights on insider/outsider culture, and how D&I efforts can be categorized as “social safety work.”  This visit is part of Berkeley Lab’s D&I strategy to enhance leadership and staff awareness, and to foster a more respectful and inclusive workplace.

Brief Bio:  Dr. Robbins uniquely knows how to simultaneously challenge and motivate people with a dynamic use of storytelling, humor and extensive knowledge of pertinent issues and concepts. The inclusive power of his message are why organizations like Disney, Walmart, NASA, Caterpillar, Boeing, Microsoft, Gap Inc., Michelin, Toyota, Daimler-Benz and numerous others call on Dr. Robbins to inspire, educate and prepare their people for the exciting challenges of dynamic and diverse environments.

Comments

  1. Thanks for the excellent talk – there was one point that I wanted to make, (but we didn’t have time) – one of the questions was, “how do we fix this” – Dr, Robbins told us to use our critical thinking skills, but unfortunately those are not taught or stressed in elementary school and the point that I wanted to make was that we can and should teach and use Emotional Intelligence – look at how others feel as well as what others think – the two skills together – critical thinking and emotional intelligence – help to round out people so that they are more open to diversity and inclusion. Thanks again… Ohmar Sowle